A Sermon Delivered at Concord, June 4th, 1812

S EUM ON, DELIVERED AT CONCORD, BEFORE HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, THE HONORABLE COUNCIL, AND BOTH BRANCHES OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, JUNE 4th, A. D. 1812. BY MOSES BRADFORD, A. M. PASTOB OF THE CHURCH IS FIUNCISTOWS. CONCORD : PRINTED BY I. AND W. R. HILL, FOR THE GENERAL COURT. 1812. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 4, 1812. VOTED, That Messrs. Folsom:, Pickebins, and Johnson, with such as the Senate may appoint, be a Committee to wait on the Rev. Mr. BRADFORD, and present him with the thanks of the Legislature for his ingenious Discourse delivered before His Excellency the Gov ernor, the Honorable Council, and both branches of the Legislature, and request a copy for the press. Sent up for concurrence. CLEMENT STOKER, Speakei-. IN SENATE. the same day. BEAD and concurred. Mr. Ham joined. H. B. CHASE, Clerk. ELECTION SERMON. 1 TIMOTHY i, 15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; of whomj am chief. / THE soul of man is immortal. It is a candidate for eternal happiness, or endless misery. The loss of final happiness must be the greatest evil man can sustain. The attainment of perpetual felicity must be the great est good man can enjoy. Holiness leads to the latter, and sin to the former. The sinner may ruin, but can not save himself. Human invention has devised various plans to avoid final evil, and to obtain final good. But these plans have not been more amusing, than delusive. Paganism early possessed a considerable portion of man kind, has had its devotees in all ages, and still holds its empire over the minds of the largest part of the inhab itants of our globe. The Jews, as a nation, have long since rejected Christ, and still persevere in their rejec tion of Christianity. The Mohammedan and papal de lusions, (those horrid defections from pure Christianity) the one in the East, the other in the West, have at tracted the attention and engaged the affections of an immense number of mankind, for a long series of ages j and their influence still continues to affect a large mass of the race of man. Ancient Deism and more modern Catholicism, and even Atheism, have, in their turn, sug gested their several expedients, to quiet the consciences and to sooth the minds of men respecting their final state. But, of these things, we may say, (to use the language of Job,) " Miserable comforters are ye all." The Pagan knows not Christ. The Jew denies that Jesus is the Christ. The Mohammedan prefers his prophet to Him. The Papist mixes his religion with numberless superstitions of human origin. The Deist laughs at all Revelation, Old or New, and substitutes his reason in its place. The admirer of modern Catho licism proclaims his indifference to all theory in religion, and rests his hopes on a few scraps of fashionable moral ity. And the Atheist gravely tells you, " There is no GOD." « So they wrap it up." In the midst of this diversity of opinion, which at once displays the folly and subtlety of human beings, our text speaks a sentiment highly pleasing to the humble penitent. The writer of this inspired passage, once felt as great inveteracy to the truth expressed, in it, as any we have referred to in the preceding remarks. He es teemed Christ an impostor. He verily thought be ought to do many things against the name of Christ, which things he did. He breathed out threatnings. He hurled men and women to prison, and compelled them to blaspheme. He persecuted the Church of GOD. He thought he could not do too much to suppress the reli gion of Jesus. His zeal was great. He willingly be came the agent and assistant of the high priest of the Jews, in attempting the extirpation of Christianity. Having obtained a commission, and being furnished with suitable aid for this purpose, he pursued his intentions in persecuting it even unto strange cities. And while approaching his object, and just ready to grasp his prey, he was arrested by an invisible and irresistible power. Listen to his words in his address to king Agrippa, on this subject...*' At mid-day, O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining roundabout me, and them which journeyed with me. And, when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ! It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord ? And he said I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet : for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will ap pear unto thee ; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto GOD, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. " Whereupon, O King Agripppa, I was not disobe dient unto the heavenly vision : but shewed, first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to GOD, and do works meet for repentance. Witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things, than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come ; that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people and to thc Gentiles." Thus we have a brief account of Saul's arrest, convic tion, conversion, and appointment to the apostleship j also a short summary of his doctrine.